Imprisoned human rights defender and former Memorial participant Bakhrom Khamroev was sent to a punishment cell for more than two weeks at IK-18 Polar Owl prison colony in the settlement of Kharp. This was reported on his Facebook page, which is now managed by his wife.
According to the post, the reason for the punishment was a prison picket with the sign: “Show me Azat Miftakhov alive!” Khamroev held the action in support of another political prisoner.
Sotavision, citing his lawyer, writes that the activist first went on strike and then staged the picket after mathematician Azat Miftakhov, who had previously spoken about torture, was moved at that time from the general barracks to a cell-type facility.
For this act of solidarity, Khamroev was placed in a punishment cell from June 2 to June 17. He also says that he is not being given his letters, and that only one parcel has reached him.
For 30 years, Khamroev helped labor migrants defend their rights in Russia and worked with the organizations Memorial and Civic Assistance. Later, his work with people convicted in cases linked to the party Hizb ut-Tahrir became the basis for charges of justifying terrorism and participating in terrorist activity.
Khamroev was detained on February 24, 2022, the day Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In May 2023, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and in October 2023 the term was reduced to 13 years and 9 months. Some counts in the case were later reclassified from involvement in a terrorist organization to participation in an extremist organization.